After the three deans decided to join Spirit Hall, Wu Ling did what he usually did and had them sign Self-Geas Scrolls. Then he generously gave them three cultivation methods corresponding to their academy attributes.
This was not because Wu Ling trusted them. It was because he no longer cared about such things.
Back when he was weak, these things were bargaining chips he used to negotiate with the strong. Now, he had already become one of the strong, one of the strongest among them. Those so-called bargaining chips had become handouts.
Afterward, Wu Ling stayed there for one month. The reason was Isaac Gale, Lyra Blaze, and a few other people from the original story whom he still remembered a little.
Of course, it was not that Wu Ling valued them very much. For the current Wu Ling, all of Soul Land felt like a game he was about to clear. After the excitement at the beginning faded, only emptiness and boredom remained.
So occasionally beating up side characters he vaguely remembered from the original story gave him a rare bit of pleasure.
That pleasure lasted only a short month. In fact, during the last few days, he stayed only because of his own compulsive need to finish what he had started.
On the night after they respectfully saw Wu Ling off, the deans of Divine Wind, Blazing Fire, and Heavenly Water Academy gathered again.
After a long silence, the dean of Divine Wind Academy spoke first.
"How does it feel?"
The Heavenly Water dean and the Blazing Fire dean looked at each other. Then the Blazing Fire dean said, "Excellent. His Highness the Saint deserves the title Father of Cultivation Methods. I have never felt cultivation become this easy."
The Heavenly Water dean continued the topic.
"I feel the same. If we had obtained these methods two years ago and spent some resources asking His Highness to create spirit elixirs, then I feel Titled Sage might not have been unreachable."
There was a faint trace of regret and blame in the Heavenly Water dean's tone. The dean of Divine Wind was the eldest brother figure among the three of them. Back then, the decision to keep delaying had also been his. Given the friendship between the three, the Heavenly Water dean had not shown such emotion for decades.
The Divine Wind dean did not get angry at that small resentment. Even he felt regret now.
The three of them had been stuck at their current realm for decades. Forget becoming Titled Sages, even taking one more step had been extravagant hope. As their ages rose, their lives were also approaching their end.
Now Wu Ling had casually taken out a few cultivation methods and given them a chance to advance again. That chance could have been obtained two years ago. If they felt no regret about that, they would be disrespecting their own lives.
Sensing the heavy mood between them, the Divine Wind dean quickly changed the topic.
"Enough. We old fellows do not matter anymore. The key is the next generation.
"His Highness truly deserves his reputation. Even just getting beaten by him helped Isaac break through to level forty-eight. Now, with the cultivation method assisting him, Isaac should have no issue reaching Spirit Leader within half a year. If we can secure spirit elixir from His Highness for Isaac, then reaching Spirit Daoist before the tournament is not impossible."
"Yes, yes. Lyra is the same. She only lacks one Spirit Ring before reaching level forty. According to the original plan, she still needed two more months to break through."
"Mm. Eira and Luna are the same."
After that, the three of them shifted their discussion from themselves to their juniors, and the more they spoke, the more energized they became.
As for Wu Ling, after leaving the three elemental academies, he did not return home. Instead, he went to Polaris City again.
In the imperial garden, Aurelia Cross, who had been cultivating, suddenly opened her eyes.
"Who is there?"
Then a strong arm wrapped around her from behind. Before she could resist, the aura coming from that arm told her who had arrived.
"Wu..."
Before Aurelia could finish speaking, Wu Ling threw her lightly into the air. She spun one hundred and eighty degrees before falling back into a broad, solid embrace.
"Long time no see, Aurelia."
Wu Ling grinned.
Aurelia was happy inside, but she still lifted her pale, swan-like neck proudly.
"Hmph. You left for three or four months, and you still have the nerve to say that?"
"Come on, Aurelia. Was that not because those three old fellows kept clinging to me and refusing to let me leave? If I had not wanted to lighten your burden, I would not have bothered with those three at all."
Wu Ling pushed the blame onto the three deans without changing expression.
Aurelia tried to break free from his embrace. After twisting for a while and realizing she could not affect Wu Ling at all, she finally shifted into a more comfortable posture. Looking at Wu Ling's handsome profile, she asked, "Mm-hm. Then why have you come this time? His Highness the Saint never visits a temple without a reason. If there were no business, you probably would not come to my side, would you?"
"Ha ha ha. How could that be? Cannot I come see my dear Aurelia because I was bored?"
Wu Ling laughed as he explained, and his hand gently combed through Aurelia's golden hair.
Of course, although Wu Ling explained it that way, the truth was not quite that.
According to information sent back by a clone of Hassan of the Hundred Personas, the Shrek group was already on the road to Polaris City.
Based on Hassan's report, Tang San and the others had spent a full month recovering after Wu Ling badly injured them last time.
During that time, Ethan Drake joined them. Flender lowered his pride and begged help from a Spirit King-level healing Spirit Master. Tang San and the others also grew after their recovery. All of this had been recorded in detail. Even the plot had begun to return to its original track.
In the Great Spirit Arena, because Blair Lockehart, Oscar, and Cecilia Jewel were missing, the remaining Shrek Four Monsters could not participate in team matches. As a result, Tang San and Lyra Fawn's pair "just happened" to run into Zane Drake and one of his teammates.
The result was also the same as in the original story. After Zane Drake injured Lyra Fawn, he triggered Tang San's "path to death" passive. Tang San used hidden weapons and severely injured him offstage.
It was also worth mentioning that, because Oscar was no longer there as the "trigger" for the Star Soul Forest plot, Tang San did not absorb a Spirit Ring above his level and did not obtain the Eight Spider Lances. In exchange, after killing a thousand-year multi-eyed venom python, he actually obtained a special eye-type Spirit Bone. With it, the left eye he had lost regained sight.
After that, just like in the original story, once Tang San defeated Zane Drake, Ethan Drake came to Zane and gave him a long "speech," as if venting years of resentment.
Finally, Elio Quinn appeared. After an emotional teacher-student reunion, he invited everyone from Shrek to join Polaris Royal Academy. At Ethan Drake's request, Flender had no choice but to agree. The Shrek group then set out for Polaris City.
According to Hassan's latest report, the Shrek party would reach Polaris City in three days.